On May 17th, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University hosted an important event – the first award of SRDI O&G Peton LLC’s Professor Marushkin Scholarship. Three Scholarship Winners were selected in the students research work contest announced this past March. About twenty students of the USPTU Technological Faculty participated in the contest: in their review papers, future oil&gas scientists and experts carried out researches and addressed issues of oil refining and petrochemical processes.
The intellectual contest outcomes were summed up on 28 April, the birthday of professor Boris K. Marushkin (who gave name to the Scholarship), a famous Soviet scientist, Eminent Science and Technology Professional of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, whose contribution to promotion of the national oil refining industry was invaluable. Igor Mnushkin, Peton’s founder and General Director, scientist and inventor, was a postgraduate student at professor Marushkin’s chair. Back in Soviet times, along with his research supervisors, he implemented projects for import substitution of oil&gas technologies.
The best works were selected by the expert jury including representatives of SRDI O&G Peton LLC and USPTU academic teaching staff:
“All the students’ research works were assessed by several parameters, such as relevance and analysis depth, importance of the covered theme, writing skillfulness and other aspects,” says Naum Samoilov, Doctor of Engineering, Contest Organizing Committee member. “Also, the final score took into account students’ performance over the previous three years of training; initially, we intended to reward the most diligent guys for their success and achievements.”
The winners awarding ceremony coincided with another important event in the life of students of the USPTU Technological Faculty – an inter-university Olympiad on the Processes and Apparatuses of Chemical Technologies which was also organized with the financial support from Peton. In his welcoming address, Viktor Kovanov, co-chairman of the Contest Organizing Committee, Research Director of SRDI O&G Peton LLC, told all the Olympiad’s guests and participants from across Russia about the company’s research activities:
“All of you are young scientists, and today we are delighted to award and reward the best of you! In the recent years, the state has invested in building up competencies in the national science under the import substitution programme, and we are happy to be able to get involved in this trend. It is such specialists as you are – active, capable, thinking – who create the image of the national science. Today, it is people with their knowledge who are the core value of our company. And therefore we will be happy to see you as trainees and later as employees at Peton Holding Company. You are making us confident in the future of our national science and in our ability to carry out many new exciting and ambitious projects in the Russian oil and gas industry.
After assessing the entries, the top places were given to three winners - the female students of the Chair “Simulation and Design of Processes and Apparatuses of Chemical Technologies”: Angelina Shukhtueva - first place and an annual scholarship of 70,000 roubles; Dilda Burusheva - second place and an annual scholarship of 60,000 roubles; Lyaila Yakhina - third place and an annual scholarship of 50,000 roubles. At the awarding ceremony, all the young female winners received certificates of merit, flowers and souvenir gifts from Peton.
“In my research paper I gave full “consideration” to the design of a nozzle recently developed by Volgograd Research Institute. I assessed all of its strengths and found its weaknesses, I mean I tried to analyse this solution as completely and deeply as possible. I really wanted to win and that’s why I’m really happy today!” Angelina Shukhtueva, a third-year student of the USPTU Technological Faculty, shares her emotions. “I think such events are a good motivator for students because for all of us it is some chance of being noticed and then employed by Peton. And secondly, there is financial aid which is quite significant and makes you feel really nice.”
According to the conditions, SRDI O&G Peton LLC’s Professor Marushkin Scholarships will be paid to the winners of the students research work contest every month, beginning from September of the next academic year already. Such a nice “increment” to the scholarship is a good help for gifted students, their teachers say:
“The agreement on cooperation between SRDI O&G Peton LLC and USPTU has been in place since 2015, and we are very grateful to the holding company management for the full support they have been providing to our chair!”says Tatiana Prosochkina, Doctor of Chemistry, Head of the Petrochemistry and Chemical Technology Chair, Chairwoman of the Organizing Committee of the Students’ Research Work Contest.“Such awards and personal scholarships really encourage guys to continue pursuing science and put more effort into education. Next year, we believe, this students research work contest will extend to involve more students of the Technological Faculty or maybe even young people from other cities and universities.
It should be mentioned that Peton is active in supporting young talented professionals: the company is implementing a programme for intern students of Ufa universities enabling a few dozens of young people annually intern at Peton; it is intended to set up a new laboratory at the USPTU Technological Faculty and to carry out some other projects. One of the leading employers in Bashkiria, SRDI O&G Peton places special emphasis on enhancing the scientific capacity of promising young professionals.”